lham F. Osman 1 , Badie K . Jacob 2 and
Diana Anderson 1
1. Division of Medical Sciences , University of Bradford , UK
2. Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK

• Little is known about the effects of nanoparticles in human systems, let alone in diseased individuals.
• Therefore, titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) - anatase nanoparticles were examined in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with respiratory diseases
[lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) and asthma].
• They were compared to those in healthy individuals to determine any differences in sensitivity to nanochemical insult.

• Ethical permission:
Bradford University Research Ethics Committee:
Reference No.0405/8;
Leeds (Central ) Ethics Committee No.: 09/H1313/37 was obtained to collect blood samples.
• The Comet assay was performed according to recommended guidelines (Tice et al, 2000).
The micronucleus assay was conducted according to
Fenech (2000).
• Ras p21 oncoprotein level detection was performed according to Anderson et al (1998b).

2
• Titanium (IV) oxide nanoparticles, 99.7%pure
(CAS 1317-70-0 Sigma Aldrich).
• The particle size was ascertained using photon correlation spectometry (Zeta analyser, Malvern
Instruments) and scanning electron microscopy
(SEM).
• For SEM analysis a drop of nano-suspension of
TiO2 was placed and air-dried on separate mesh
Formvar carbon coated (adhesive carbon stubs) and then quantified using SEM. The particle size was observed to be between the 50 nm and 150 nm range

2

healthy controls OTM healthy controls % tail DNA patients OTM
Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of healthy controls, lung cancer, COPD and asthma patient groups in the Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50 µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of 80 µM
(2.72 µg/ml) H
2
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001

Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc
Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of healthy controls, lung cancer, COPD and asthma patient groups in the Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations
(10, 30 and 50 µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of
80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H
2
0.01 and ***p < 0.001
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p <

Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc
Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of male and female healthy controls, and male and female patient groups in the Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50 µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of 80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H
2
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001

Controls < 50 Controls 50-65 Patients < 50 Patients 50-65
OTM % tail DNA
Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of healthy controls, aged < 50 and 50 -65 patients aged <50, 50 -65 years and >65 years in the Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50
µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of 80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H
2
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001

Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of non smoker healthy controls and non smoker and smoker patient groups in the
Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50
µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of 80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H
2
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001

Caucasian controls
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0 ns ns
Nc 10 30 50 Pc
Caucasian patients
(F)
Asian controls ns ns ns ns ns ns
Nc 10 30 50 Pc Nc 10 30 50 Pc
Concentrations in µg/ml
Asian patients ns ns ns ns
Nc 10 30 50 Pc
OTM % tail DNA
Histogram showing the means of Olive tail moment and % tail DNA in lymphocytes of Caucasian controls and patients and Asian controls andpatient groups in the
Comet assay after treatment with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50
µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes (Nc) and the positive control of 80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H
2
O
2
(Pc) for 30 minutes. Bars indicate standard errors. Not significant: ns, *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001

Health condition as a factor in the
CBMN.
Means ± SD of different
CBMN assay parameters of respiratory disease patients (lung cancer, COPD, asthma) and healthy controls in blood cultures treated with TiO
2
(5 and 10 µg/ml) as well as a negative control of untreated blood cultures (Nc) and a positive control (Pc) of 0.4
µM of mitomycin
C (MMC). Symbols indicate level of significance when comparing each group to healthy individuals’ untreated controls. * implies P <
0.05, ** P < 0.01 and + denotes highly significant when compared each group to its own untreated control as well as to corresponding healthy individuals untreated control.
KEY:
NDI: indicates nuclear division index.
% Bi NC: indicates percentage binucleated cells in 1000 scored cells.
BiMN: indicates number of micronuclei in 1000 binucleated cells
Mono MN: indicates micronuclei in mononucleated cells in 1000 scored.
NPBs: indicates number of nucleoplasmic bridges in 1000 cells.
Group type and confounder
Control group
NDI
%BiNC
BiMN
Nc
TiO
2 concentrations
µg/ml
5 10
1.88
±
0.03
1.84
±
0.02
58 .04
± 4.42
56.35
± 2.34
1.87
±
1.63
4.47
±
2.39
1.93
± 2.24
1.80
± 1.51
0.33
± 0.47
4.40
± 2.95
0.67
±
0.79
2.13
±
1.64
1.73
±
0.02
58.34
± 3.45
7.27
±
1.69
3.67
± 1.51
4.80
± 2.45
2.13
±
1.5
NPBs
Nuclear buds
Patients group
NDI
%BiNC
BiMN
1.68
±
0.03
1.54
±
0.02
48.50
± 1.68
46.40
± 3.45
8.54 1.40
± 8.29
± 1.55
2.04
± 0.48
3.06
± 0.28
5.32
± 0.06
5.39
± 0.45
2.58
± 0.17
1.88
± 0.73
Pc
1.66
±
0.03
46 ± 2.44
29.87
±
4.15
+
5.2
± 2.56
0.53
± 0.81
0.72
±
0.47
1.67
±
0.08
49. 60 ± 2.87
1.52
43.45
±
±
0.05
3.75
11.03
± 1.70
* 30.90
± 12.21
+
3.95
± 1.33
4.79
± 6.65
1.96
± 0.98
1.21
± 0.13
5.42
± 0.24
1.42
± 0.27
NPBs
Nuclear buds
Lung cancer
NDI
%BiNC
BiMN
1.65
± 0.06
1.66
± 0.03
54. 70
±
2.34
52. 50
±
4.56
9.98
±
2.40* 9.71
±
3.35
*
2.58
± 2.60
3.33
± 1.75
1.08
± 1.11
5.67
± 1.89
0.83
±
0.99
2.58
±
2.26
1,65 ± 0.03
56.34
±
3.42
1.55
37.35
± 5.2
±
2.34
14.50
±
3.01
** 28.58
±
4.39
+
5.83
± 2.11
5.33
± 2.53
1.33
±
1.17
1.08
± 1.66
1.50
± 1.85
1.42
±
1.04
NPBs
Nuclear buds
COPD
NDI
%BiNC
BiMN
1.63
±
0.02
1.59
±
0.03
49. 60 ± 2.35
52.25
± 2.33
9.67
± 2.61* 9.67
± 3.25
*
1.42
±
1.38
3.17
±
3.02
1.3
± 1.43
5.75
± 3.29
1.17
± 1.14
2.17
± 2.94
1.62
±
0.04
56 ± 3.44
1.38
±
0.06
46.34
± 1.36
13.83
± 1.95
** 32.33
± 4.37
+
2.92
±
2.66
6.08
± 2.69
3.42
± 1.44
1.17
2.58
1.08
±
±
±
1.28
1.89
1.11
NPBs
Nuclear buds
Asthma
NDI
%BiNC
BiMN
NPBs
Nuclear buds
1.86
± 0.08
1.82
± 0.02
45.55
±
2.06
65.23
±
3.44
3.75
±
1.48
6.13
±
2.15
2.13
± 1.69
2.6
± 1.87
1.375
±
1.5
4.75
±
2.38
0.75
± 1.09
0.88
± 1.05
1.67
± 0.06
61.44
±
2.44
9.73
±
1.54
*
3.1
± 2.15
3.88
±
3.22
1.13
± 1.05
1.42
± 0.06
45.2
±
5.65
31.75
±
4.92
+
1.38
± 1.41
2.63
±
1.49
1.75
± 0.97

healthy controls lung cancer
COPD asthma

30
25
20
15
40
35
10
5
0
Nc 5 10
Concentrations in µg/ml
Pc male healthy controls female healthy controls male patients female patients

(C)
When modulation of ras p21 protein level expression was examined, regardless of TiO2 treatment, only lung cancer and COPD patients expressed measurable ras P21 levels.
Ras p21 protein expression in lymphocytes treated with different TiO
2 concentrations of
(3)10 µg/ml, (4) 30µg/ml and (5) 50 µg/ml for 30 minutes, in addition to (1) SW 480 cell lysate (positive control) and (2) untreated

Group
COPD 2
TiO
2 concentration in µg/ml
Nc
10
217.6
±
23.9
212.6
±
26.8
30
214.4
±
15.5
50
187.3
±
17.3
COPD 5
COPD 6
COPD
COPD
7
$
187.0 ± 23.3
220.7 ± 14.0
55.1 ± 10.1
187.0 ± 32.5
227.0 ± 8.7
225.8
±
5.8
222.0
-
±
7.4
Lung cancer 1 222.0 ± 11.3
224.8 ± 15.6
Lung cancer 3* 227.1 ± 14.8
227.0 ± 22.7
Lung cancer 4 101.4 ± 25.4
-
223.0 ± 18.0
184.5 ± 40.4
-
222.0
±
7.4
226.6 ± 6.3
-
-
221.8 ± 18.3
178.0 ± 18.3
-
219.6
±
7.3
216.1 ± 9.4
-
-
Lung cancer 5 197.6 ± 9.3
196.7 ± 23.9
Lung cancer 6 202.9 ± 18.0
201.5 ± 14.9
Lung cancer 7 * 110.5 ± 20.3
75.2 ± 12.8
Lung cancer 8 * 221.0 ± 22.7
217.7 ± 7.8
186.4 ± 32.6
98.2 ± 32.9
54.9 ± 11.6
134.1 ± 13.9
-
197.2 ± 11.7
43.9 ± 15.4
-
Densitometry of ras p21 bands. The OD obtained with ImageJ software and standard deviations of scanned blots of ras p21 bands in respiratory disease patients and healthy controls lymphocyte protein extracts untreated (Nc) and treated with different TiO
2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50 µg/ml) for 30 minutes. All patients samples were coded * (OD means show ras p21 down regulation), $ (OD means show ras p21 up regulation) and – (ras p21 not detected or immeasurable bands). Negative responses have not been included.

• Respiratory disease patients have higher basal control levels of DNA damage than the healthy controls in the present study.
• In general in healthy individuals without confounding effects of smoking and respiratory disease show an increase in DNA damage.
• Confounding effects could work synergistically or antagonistically.
• Overall responses are still increased in the presence of TiO
2

• Anderson, D., Hughes, J.A., Cebulska-Wasilewska, A., Nizankowska, E., and Graca, B.
(1998b). Ras p21 protein levels in human plasma from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with lung cancer patients and healthy controls.
Mutat Res 403, 229-235.
• Fenech, M. (2000). The in vitro micronucleus technique. Mutat Res 455, 81-95
• Tice, R.R., Agurell, E., Anderson, D., Burlinson, B., Hartmann, A., Kobayashi, H., Miyamae,
Y., Rojas, E., Ryu, J.C., and Sasaki, Y.F. (2000). Single cell gel/comet assay: guidelines for in
vitro and in vivo genetic toxicology testing. Environ Mol Mutagen 35, 206-221.
• Funding from UKIERI is gratefully acknowledged.
• We should also like to thank Dr Mojgan Najafzadeh for helping to obtain blood samples and the volunteers for providing their blood.